Chapter 15

“Wow, lovebirds! How are you?” Samuel’s unexpectedly warm greeting welcomed William and Paula as they arrived at the gym. Samuel’s rock-hard body was glistening with the heavy sweat.

“Oh, Sam! What a coincidence! Are you done, bro?” William replied warmly. He tried to forget Samuel’s behavior a few weeks ago because the matter was well resolved, thanks to Paula.

Unfortunately, Paula didn’t. He felt intimidated by Samuel’s presence at this time. Not because she felt suffocated around Samuel, but because all her ideas and suggestions about her loveless relationship with William had failed. Miserably.

“Ooops!” Samuel’s lips pursed when he accidentally saw the red hickey on Paula’s neck and nape peeking out from the towel. “I see nothing!” Samuel corrected when he saw the same red marks under William’s half-covered T-shirt.

Paula and William were stunned. William looked Paula in the eye and saw the unusual restlessness there.

“It’s not like what you see,” Paula defended.

“Yes, it doesn’t look like you were making out,” Samuel smirked.

.....

“What do you mean, Sam?” William asked.

“I meant ...,” Samuel laughed mockingly. “It was clear, bro! I don’t like your way!”

“That’s none of your business, Sam! You are my cousin, not my sibling,” William replied, annoyed.

Samuel burst out laughing. He then took his bag from his locker and walked away whispering in Paula’s ear, “Be careful not to get pregnant, dear!” Samuel glanced at William one more time, then headed off towards the dressing room without saying anything.

Paula couldn’t help staring at Samuel sharply. She hated having to admit that Samuel’s hunch could be right. In her heart, she prayed that she wasn’t getting pregnant for real.

Unfortunately, Paula’s wish remained hopeless because a few days later, the urine test result showed two red lines. She also confirmed it with the gynecologist to get confirmation. Unfortunately, the results were disappointing.

“Congratulations! You are four weeks pregnant.”

Paula swallowed hard at the sight. The ultrasound screen showed that there was a new life growing in her womb.

That was supposed to be happy news for any mother in the world. However, the abnormal conditions made Paula unable to feel happiness. Her tears were slowly falling. Of course, the doctor thought it was tears of joy.

“You must be very happy!” The doctor said with a big smile plastered on her face.

Paula just nodded and forced a smile. Her hands were still shaking holding the sonogram pictures of her future baby as she walked out of the clinic. The woman immediately entered the car and cried heavily inside.

“Oh, God! Why do you have to punish me this way?” she lamented as pounded on the steering wheel.

Maybe she shouldn’t be in this relationship with a man who loved another woman. Maybe she should have left William from the beginning.

Now, it was too late. She couldn’t possibly tell William what had happened. This would only make it difficult for him.

After all, Paula had promised William not to get pregnant. If she came to William and told him that she was carrying his baby, what would he say? He would say something like trapping him in this loveless marriage by deliberately getting pregnant.

Anxiously, Paula drove the car and headed back to the office. She had to think about this carefully. Not only for herself and William but also for the baby.

***

Meanwhile, at the office, William was worried about Lea who seemed to be avoiding him. He finally decided to meet Lea in the office during working hours under the pretext of business matters. Because he was an important person, he asked Lea and her boss to handle this. He wanted to meet Lea in person no matter what.

“Dave Richards is here,” Danica informed William of the arrival of Lea and her superiors. “And her secretary, of course.”

“Let them in!” William ordered.

Of course, the clueless Dave only came with purely business motivations. However, not so with Lea. Her face was stiff like she was about to pounce on a face.

“Lea, what are you doing?” Dave whispered to his secretary. “If you have a problem, can you forget it for a while so you can smile a little this time?”

Lea immediately fixed her expression. But of course, it still looks unnatural.

The three of them then professionally discussed work. There seemed to be no problem. Everything went smoothly before Dave finally went to the toilet.

William then wasted no time and took the opportunity to interrogate Lea. “Lea, you’ve been avoiding me for a month!”

“Oh, yeah? I’m busy,” Lea replied curtly, looking at the draft in her hand. “I told you, didn’t I?”

“Lea-”

“William! I thought you were a married man. Don’t bother me anymore, please!” Lea said, very curtly. William didn’t feel like he knew Lea at all. She didn’t use to be like this.

“Lea, I already explained to you. Paula and I didn’t-”

“Oh? I dare you to swear in the name of God if you don’t do anything with her?” challenged Lea wide-eyed, bringing her face closer to William’s. “Then who were the ones making love shamelessly in your car a month ago in the parking lot of the Star Hotel William?”

“....”

Now, William was frozen. He didn’t remember the date. However, he remembered that he did it with Paula in the car when they got carried away.

“Being married is fun, huh? You can make love with your wife, satisfying your needs every day,” said Lea curtly. However, this time her face was red. Her eyes were teary.

“Lea ...,” William groaned. He felt very guilty for having been caught hiding this important matter from his lover. But, was it even matter? It was too late to feel guilty.

“Come on, William! She’s your wife. You didn’t do anything wrong by fucking her. Your only fault is ...,” Lea paused for a moment. It was so bitter. The sentence she was about to say was so painful, making her heart clench. “... because you are still thinking that we are together.”

“Lea, I never share my love. It’s only for you!”

“You dare to say love to me while fucking another girl?” Lea screamed. “Oh, she is your wife, I forgot.”

“Lea ... Paula and I don’t involve feelings-”

Leah shook her head. To her, all William’s words were in vain. It was too late. It’s meaningless.

“William, you know? The night I saw the solid evidence of your lies, I chose to one-sidedly break our relationship,” Lea whispered. A painful expression crossed her face. Tears flooded from the corner of her eyes. “That night, I slept with another man, William. I’m not the Lea I used to be. I am not your Lea anymore.”

William was left dumbfounded as if his body was being struck by lightning. Jealousy hit his heart. It was not easy to accept something like that. It was like a betrayal.

Unable to think straight, William no longer knew what was right and what was wrong. He was so caught up in his messy feelings that he didn’t know what to do anymore. Unknowingly, his feet stomped out of s office, leaving Lea alone. He didn’t even know where his feet would take him. He just wanted to get away from all the harsh reality that befell him.